The Philips Hue app has been updated to version 5.27. The best part about this is that now it can use augmented reality (AR). The AR is for a preview tool that lets you see how Philips Hue products would look in your own space.
The AR feature is exclusive to iPhone Pro and iPad Pro models with a lidar sensor, which was first introduced in the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. Using the Explore tab in the app, users can preview twelve different Philips Hue products. This preview includes the Hue Twilight sunrise lamp, the Hue Dymera wall light, and the Hue Infuse ceiling light. It sounds a lot like Amazon’s preview tool for its shop. However, this AR preview tool is supposed to be more advanced than other preview features that just put a 3D object on a background. The virtual Hue products in the app can show how a room would look with different lighting scenes, effects, and colors.
Added to this is how it interacts with the objects you’re using. For example, the app can simulate how a lamp would look in a darkened room at night compared to the middle of the day. While the AR preview isn’t a perfect simulation of how the lighting products would actually change the appearance or mood of a room, it gives a good visual representation of how they would look in the buyer’s home. This feels as advanced as when Google Maps gets AR updates.
Another great update is the permanent addition of the “do not disturb” option. This was initially an experimental feature within the Hue Labs program before it was shut down in June 2022. This feature lets users set Hue products’ motion and security sensors to only react to movement while all lights in a room or zone are turned off. This can be scheduled for specific times of the day. This feature is great for homes that rely on Hue sensors to automatically turn lights on and off at night, like when going to the bathroom at night. With “do not disturb” enabled, if a sensor-connected light is turned on manually, it will remain on regardless of sensor activity. The update also brings the ability to program Hue switches to start or stop timers. These timers can turn lights or scenes on or off when the timer completes. Users can also now start and stop the “Mimic presence automation,” which turns lights on and off at various times to create the illusion that someone is home while the owner is away.
